Mail-catcher.



W. F. GAMBILL & A. R. MOCANN.

MAIL GATCHBR.

APPLIOATION FILED SBPT.17, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

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UNITE STATE ATENT FFIQE.

WILLIAM F. GAMBILL AND AMOS R. MCGANN, OF DA'ITO, ARKANSAS.

MAIL-CATCHER.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WViLLiAM F. GAM- BILL and Amos It. MOCANN, citizens of the United States, residing at Datto, in the county of Clay and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in mail catching devices for railway cars.

In carrying out our invention it is our purposeto provide a catcher arm for mail cars which has its parts so constructed and arranged as to automatically deliver a mail bag to within the car and to also compensate for the shock or jar incident to the mail bag contacting with the arm.

WVith the above recited objects in View and others which will appear as the nature of the invention is more fully understood, the improvement resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following description and falling within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a portion of the mail car provided with our improvement. Figure 2 is a top plan view illustrating the manner in which the mail pouch is guided to within the car.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the numeral 1 designates an ordinary mail car the same being provided with the usual side door opening 2, arranged upon the car, adjacent the vertical sills of the door, are the usual eyes 8 through which passes the rod t of a mail receiving arm 5. The rod is sustained within its bearings through the medium of the usual pin keeper 6. The arm is of course arranged at an angle with relation to the car and is provided with rearwardly extending handle 6.

The parts above described are substantially similar to that of the usual construction of mail catcher arms, and the parts have been referred to in detail in order to more clearly illustrate our improvement. Either integrally connected with the angular arm 5 or secured thereto in any desired 01' pre- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 17, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

Serial No. 720,836.

ferred manner is a curved spring member 7. This member is attached to the arm at a slight; distance away from the end thereof, or is arranged upon that point of the arm with which the mail pouch has contact. The spring embodies a Hat member, which is curved in plan as described, and it will be noted that when the pouch is contacted by the arm the spring 7 will all'ord a sullicient resiliency to compensate for the shock or jar thereof occasioned, and through the said spring being rounded and the bag or pouch being under the influence of the atmospheric pressure it will be guided by the said arm to within the car door opening.

If desired, the interior of the car may be provided with a mail pouch receiving basket 8, the same preferably embodying a retici'llated mcn'lber constructed of wire or other resilient or givable material.

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings the shnplicity of the device, as well as the advantages thereof will it is thought be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such inventions appertain without further detailed description.

I'laving thus described the invention, what we claim is:

The combination with a mail bag receiving arm which is provided with a handle and which ishingedly and removablyconnected to the side of the car adjacent the door opening thereof and the said arm being arranged at an inclination with relation to the car, of a spring member which has one of its ends connected with the arm at the point of contacting of the arm with a mail pouch, and the opposite end of the spring being disposed within the doorway of the car and at a distance from the remainder of the arm and from the handle thereof.

In testimony whereof we allix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

IVILIJI'AM F. (HLIVIBILL. AMOS It. lrIoOANN.

ll itinessesz J 'l. ADAMS,

J. G. S'ronY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

